


Together

by colisahotnorthernmess



Category: One Foot in the Grave
Genre: F/M, Ficlet, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, May/December Relationship, Older Woman/Younger Man, Widowed Character, referenced canon character death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:48:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26203687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colisahotnorthernmess/pseuds/colisahotnorthernmess
Summary: I recently rewatched the whole of this series and it was every bit as good as I remember. I never 'saw' this ship when I was younger, but - the older you get - the more I think you realise that love has no age. And - following the tragedy at the end of the series (I won't spoil it for you but most people probably know what happened anyway) - I think these two really do deserve a bit of happiness together.
Relationships: Margaret Meldrew/Nick Swainey
Kudos: 1





	Together

It had started out as a meal every other weekend, and then - after one time in August - _every_ Friday night. To stay connected - to stay in touch - and to provide company for one another in these lonely times. Margaret had just recently lost her Victor - everybody around here knew that, because everybody knew the infamous character that was Victor Meldrew. But, not long before that, Mr. Swainey had lost his mother. The pair had always been there for one another, but - since their bereavements - had introduced a more social aspect to their friendship, which was nice. He had become more than just the 'man next door' who popped round every now and then. There wasn't anything she couldn't tell Mr. Swainey.

Sometimes, they went for a curry - something spicy, washed down with a shandy; sometimes to bistro nights, and sometimes Chinese restaurants - obviously trying to avoid the one where Victor had accidentally stumbled across an underground brothel between courses - somewhere after his spring rolls but before his Peking duck. Sometimes, Jean came, and that was always a good giggle - the three of them. One time, they had even met with Patrick and Pippa, but that was only the once and with good reason; Patrick ordered a steak medium rare and it arrived resembling a piece of charcoal, resulting in a blazing row with the waiter who'd took the order. Though, it had to be said, Margaret and Nick did laugh about it on the way home.

One time, around ten o'clock at night, in the hall, Margaret kissed Mr. Swainey on the lips. When he'd switched on the light, she immediately regretted it. "I'm old enough to be your mother," she had told him. But, "No - you're perfect," he'd soon replied, "You always _have_ been." And then it became so suddenly apparent; the gap in the fence he had created so that he could walk between their gardens whenever he wanted - their little coffee mornings, where Margaret pretended to enjoy Nick's mother's carrot cake, which they often used as a door stop when he wasn't there - asking her for 50p a mile on his sponsored walk, or finding _any_ excuse to chat. Had this been bubbling away, under the surface, all of that time?

It was best not to think of such things, she supposed. It was hard to ignore that they both were alone - it was something major they had in common. But also, something else was. They both had adored old Victor - could share their stories of him with laughter, and without malice - unlike most other folk. Nick had not only tolerated the man, which was more than other people seemed to manage; he'd thought the world of him - genuinely, and with no agenda. Feeling a hand tenderly caress her face, she inexplicably felt as if her late husband was smiling down on her, and - right now - nothing in that whole _world_ could have felt more natural and right than when Mr. Swainey had gently grabbed her by the waist and kissed her back.

She realised that she didn't have to stop loving Victor - not now, not ever - to find happiness with another. The thing she loved the most about Nick was how she knew he would never _expect_ her to.


End file.
